Please only answer if you have a nexxtech Home theatre in a box.

i would awnser your question but you say not to because i have an onkyo reciever instead of a nexxtech. but im a nice guy its not going to play 5.1 when you put a cd in just the front left and right and the sub. try putting the eq in all chanel.

Ok looking for a Home theatre for my hdtv, hdmi compatability. But if I buy a Home Theatre with hdmi and connect it to the tv through component, will there be much of a difference if it where the hdmi version? Just looking towards the sound quality since my ps3 can’t support the sound on the regular tv speakers.

HDMI is a single cable (looks like a giant USB cable) that will transmit both Hi-def video content up to 1080p and true surround sound. Component HD cables transmit video up to 1080i, so you won;t notice much of a difference in video quality (none if your tv can’t display 1080p). With component HD, you will need to decide on an audio connection.

Your PS3 has an hdmi out so that would solve all your problems if your receiver has an HDMI INPUT. You plug the ps3 into the receiver via HDMI, plug the receiver to the tv using component and you should be good to go.

Other audio options include Digital Optical or plain old RCA(white/red) cables.

Btw, those RCA cables SHOULD work on just about any setup…it will only be stereo but it should work. Are you using that with your current setup?

I have a few year old sony hdtv. I need to hook up an XBox 360, the HDTV cable box, a DVD player, and a Home Theatre receiver. The previous way we had it all hooked up was through the receiver but we had green on the screen so some guy from the cable company came and changed it. Now we cant watch DVDs or get the XBox to show up. How do I need to hook up everything?

Why was there green screen? Perhaps the receiver was defective. The cable guy should not have left your other sources unconnected without explaining what was wrong. If you can, plug all your sources into the receiver again, and use the same external input to your TV(that the cable guy used) from the receiver output. If you still get green screen, replace the receiver.

Hello, I just bought a new HDTV. I am wondering if there is a cheap way to make a Home Theatre. Preferably under $300. If that is not possible under $500. Please provide any links for tutorials or websites. Thank you for all you help.

Whatever you do, don’t get an HTiB. This price point is typically littered with a lot of shoddy equipment that is either very proprietary or just thrown out to make a profit at the expense of quality. Usually the lights on the electronic side will distract you long enough that you won’t notice that the speakers are lighter than air or there is almost nothing inside or behind that electronic box. It’s really not that much more difficult to put together a receiver and a speaker package.

My favorite suggestion for around $400 is a Haman Kardon AVR-254 receiver and the Energy ACT6 speaker system.

The ACT6 speakers are not the greatest speakers you’ll ever find but I can guarantee that they’re better than the speakers included with any $400 HTiB – at least they don’t seem like a waste of precious natural resources. However keep in mind that these are small speakers and, like any other small speaker HTiB, they won’t produce the best sound in a huge room. But in a small to medium size space they will be pretty darn good.

These speakers are well constructed and made from aluminum rather than plastic. In case you haven’t heard of Energy speakers they have been around for a long time and is a well respected spec developer/manufacturer of speakers from budget to high-end. These are a bit older and have been on closeout for a while, but that’s why the price is so good. Also, silver is less popular than black.

When the ACT6 first came out it got a few good reviews:
http://www.soundstage.com/surrounded/surrounded200502.htm
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/speakers/678/home-theater-on-a-budget-page4.html
It’s actually impressive to find a serious review for a speaker system this cheap.

The Energy ACT6 can be found at:
eBay from Acoustic Sound Design ($220): http://cgi.ebay.com/Energy-Speakers-Energy-ACT6-Home-Theater-System-NEW_W0QQitemZ230251487665QQcmdZViewItemQQptZSpeakers_Subwoofers
They might accept a ‘Best Offer’ of $160 (for $200 shipped total) since it looks like they just started that option and may want to blow these out.

The Harman Kardon AVR-254 receiver can be found at:
Amazon ($250) or Electronics Expo ($244): http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0016BN5CM/ref=dp_olp_new_map?ie=UTF8&condition=new
B&H ($250): http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/549825-REG/Harman_Kardon_AVR_154_AVR_154_5_1_Channel_A_V_Receiver.html

It might be a little bit over your budget but I think it’s worth it. If you absolutely can’t go above the $400 limit then you might consider a factory refurbished AVR-247 or AVR-146 receiver from the Harman Kardon eBay store where they sell at auction. The AVR-247 is a better receiver and it typically goes for about $200 at auction. The AVR-146 is an older model and has one less HDMI input than the AVR254 but it is almost equal in connectivity – it typically goes for about $150 at auction.
The Harman Kardon eBay store is here: http://stores.ebay.com/Harman-Audio_Home-Theater-Receivers_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ10225972QQftidZ2QQtZkm
I almost prefer a refurbished receiver for its savings and because, in my opinion, electronics are generally reliable and these things aren’t very complex. Plus, it’s direct from the manufacturer and comes with a valid warranty.

There are other capable receivers that will put you below your $400 budget but I think the HK looks nice, sounds nice, matches the ACT6, and has better connectivity for the future than other, cheaper receivers.

Ok looking for a Home Theatre for my hdtv, hdmi compatability. But if I buy a Home theatre with hdmi and connect it to the tv through component, will there be much of a difference if it where the hdmi version? Just looking towards the sound quality since my ps3 can’t support the sound on the regular tv speakers.

HDMI is a single cable (looks like a giant USB cable) that will transmit both Hi-def video content up to 1080p and true surround sound. Component HD cables transmit video up to 1080i, so you won;t notice much of a difference in video quality (none if your tv can’t display 1080p). With component HD, you will need to decide on an audio connection.

Your PS3 has an hdmi out so that would solve all your problems if your receiver has an HDMI INPUT. You plug the ps3 into the receiver via HDMI, plug the receiver to the tv using component and you should be good to go.

Other audio options include Digital Optical or plain old RCA(white/red) cables.

Btw, those RCA cables SHOULD work on just about any setup…it will only be stereo but it should work. Are you using that with your current setup?

I have a home theatre in a box, and there’s not HDMI input on it, only output. I have a PS3. I connected it with a HDMI to the HDTV for picture.

Now for sound, should I connect it directly from the PS3 to the home theatre with a Optical cable or connect it from the TV to home theatre with an Optical Cable?

Thanks.
If I connect the Optical Cable from TV to Home theatre, will there be a big difference in quality than if I connect it from PS3 directly to Home Theatre?

Connect optical cable from PS3 to Home Theater System is the best way. You just get stereo sound ( 2 channel ) if you connect optical cable from TV to Home Theater System.

I am looking for a Home theatre for my room (Specially for listening to music). Please tell how many RMS are enough for this sized room. Also I am looking forward to Sony Home Theatre. How does that delivers.
Secondly if I have a DVD player with a build-in amp. can I attach an additional amplifier to it for a better sound quality?
The budget is around 15K.

what you’re asking is like asking what color cup would hold 8 ozs….
When purchasing an audio system, first determine your budget. Then devote between 75 – 90 percent of that to the speakers. The rest to the source.
And no you can not attach an amp to an amp.

Any ideas as how to connect VCR, Receiver, Equalizer, DVD,TV and Home Theatre System, so each will play audio through speakers.

you must make individual audio connections from each component to the reciever. regular red/white audio for the vcr, digital audio for the dvd player (which will either be fiber optic, or digital coax. it depends on which your dvd has) if you have a cable or satellite box connect the audio for this directly to the reciever as well, (red/white or digital audio, your choice) if you dont have a cable or satellite, your tv should have a red/white output on the back labeled audio out run that to the recievers tv/video audio input. this is assuming that your reciever has enough inputs on it.

We just set up our Home Theatre system and only the center channel works when watching sattelite TV. When watching a DVD, all speakers work. Can anyone tell me why? Is this the way its supposed to work?
Thanks!

Is your satalite hooked up to your home theater, if not the sound you are hearing is from the tv not the center channel. Depending on your home theater, see if you have a hook up for a sattelite tv. If not check your sattilite box to see for there is an audio output (HDMI or composite) then hook it up to your Home theater HDMI or composite input. If not check you tv to see if you have an output jack (composite or RCA) then hook it up to your home theater Aux input. Read your owners manual for home theater, sattilite box and tv to see what type of connections you have. Hope this helps and enjoy.

Basically, how do you convert the output a Home Theatre system uses to a 1/4 inch headphone jack

For your computer, it would depend. Assuming you have a 1/8" (3.5mm) headphone jack for your computer/iPod, then all it would require is a cable with a male 1/8" plus and two male RCA jacks. Easily obtainable from any electronics store. If your computer has optical out / coax out, and your home theater supports that, then that’s a possible connection too.
For the iPod, there are also docks that you can put your ipod on which will have female rca jacks or maybe coax/optical that you can hook into your Home theater system.

Edit: And for that 1/4 jack, that’s USUALLY a headphone out, meaning you plug headphones into it, not your iPod. If it is a rare case where it is a 1/4 in, then you can buy a 1/8 to 1/4 converter.